A good understanding of the environmental, social and economic challenges was ensured through over 20 years of work in the region. This was substituted with a set of assessments using the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM) and the InVEST tool to provide evidence of direct and co-benefits. The analysis of the environmental and economic benefits of different land-uses was conducted and informed the choice of agroforestry options. Local and traditional knowledge from the local Indigenous Q'eqchi' community was particularly valuable in agreeing the limits of identified trade-offs. Additionally, a manual of good practices for cocoa cultivation was prepared to build capacities of the local community on sustainable cocoa agroforestry farming. The development of an agricultural calendar for cocoa cultivation in northern Guatemala contributed to increased accountability and transparency of production chain processes.

While the Nature-based Solution intervention focussed on changing land-uses towards good agricultural and manufacturing practices for cocoa agroforestry systems in the Lachuá Ecoregion, the project placed emphasis on developing strategies that cover the full cocoa value chain. This included production, processing, marketing, organisational capacities of local farmers and associations, support and involvement of technical assistance and services from key organisations as well as increased access to public and private funding mechanisms and investments. A financial and economic analysis was carried out as part of the project to develop a comprehensive business model for cocoa cultivation by community associations and Fundalachuá. The innovative business model relied on the creation of capacities and human capital for good agricultural and manufacturing practices, without large capital investments, infrastructure, equipment or supplies. Good governance and access to financing was ensured through producer associations, including first level organisations for storage and transport of products and second level organisations for marketing and technical assistance services to producers, including supporting the negotiation with international markets interested in high quality product.

The mid term review examined the success of management plan in the middle of its implementation period. It reviewed the implementation progress of the action plan and the effectiveness of the outcomes. A detailed analysis of capacity for implementation and protected area management was carried out, as this would always be a major challenge. The analyses included extensive engagement with authorities and land managers, to gain open feedback. They provided feedback on the challenges and their resources, knowledge and experience, including where they fell short to achieve implementation. They also had the opportunity to suggest how we could better capacitate them for the remainder of the implementation period. 

Several cost-benefit analyses provided insights into the main trade-offs between different agricultural systems. To compensate farmers for conserving and restoring ecosystem services of the floodplains, they received support to cover the costs of the transition to flood-based agriculture and resist pressures to convert additional low dyke areas into closed control zones with high dykes that would exclude the land from flooding. In some areas a hybrid model was used, with low dykes controlling the timing of flood arrival/recession to support double-cropping and flood-based cropping (instead of the traditional third rice crop). In the case of lotus farming systems, flood-based agriculture enabled diversification of activities, including fish raising, ecotourism and recreational opportunities.

The design of the intervention recognised the challenges across the Mekong Delta, which were also captured in the 2013 Mekong Delta Plan. The Nature-based Solution intervention strategically addressed knowledge gaps, capacity needs of farmers and regional planning challenges, working collaboratively with other similar initiatives. The intervention responded to interactions between the environment and society in terms of improving livelihoods through flood-based agriculture. While initial IUCN pilot interventions remained limited and small-scale, collaboration across similar projects and recent policy developments currently support the development of a large-scale intervention across the 1.4 million ha of the Upper Mekong Delta floodplain.

The PODD Platform is the disease surveillance software powering PODD including a mobile app, outbreak manager, and API.

Disease data is collected into decentralized repositories owned and managed by local health and government officials via the PODD Manager. They are able to run reports and analyze the real-time data coming in from farms. When enough cases of sick animals with similar characteristics are reported within a defined radius, PODD Manager triggers the following actions:

1. Automated alerts are sent to local health authorities who manage the reported area.

2. Preliminary guidance is automatically delivered to the volunteer, instructing them to quarantine the animal and disinfect the surrounding areas. 

3. The local officials will then communicate directly with the livestock owner via a chat feature within PODD Manager and dispatch a local response team, if necessary. 

4. Local responders collect lab samples and work with community members on preventative or outbreak control measures.

5. All activity tracking and case outcomes are recorded in PODD Manager for historical case reporting.

The participation of “disease detectives” powers digital disease surveillance systems for local governments by better equipping them with relevant and timely data. Local health authorities can monitor the status of sick animals in real-time from their offices as farmers take pictures and upload them to the PODD system.